Hi all, this is my first post on this forum but ive lurked for a while and gotten some great info. I hunt hogs in South Texas at night using only the full, or almost full moon for light. For the last couple of years ive been using a Zeiss Conquest 3-9 X40mm on a Steyr Pro Hunter in 7mm-08. The reticle in the zeiss has thick crosshairs everywhere except at the exact center and worked...ok. My eyes are getting older and Im struggling to see the black crosshairs on a black hog, especially if he isnt in the middle of the sendero and has brush behind him. Anyway Im looking for something different. The scopes ive looked through are the Meopta Meostar 3-12 X56 rd and the Trijicon 2.5-10 X 56. Id like to keep the price under 1000. Are there any others i should check out or are these as good as it gets in this price range? Weight is a factor but I dont hand carry my rifle that much anyway. I use an atv and carry the rifle over my shoulder in a safari sling. (these are great btw). The meopta appears to be a bit brighter but the Trijicon is nice too and no batteries is a plus. My concern is that the illuminated reticles on either of them may make it difficult to see whats behing the crosshairs. Now for a stupid question: eventually glasses are in my future. Does looking through a rifle scope do the same thing that glasses do or can you see better with both on? All your input is appreciated.

I took a 500 pound Russian bore in Refugio a few months ago and will be back in 2 weeks for gobblers and more hogs.

My son's 308 has a 3-9 Trijicon and it is a very nice setup for hogs, bright and clear. The illuminated reticles can be dialed back to not wash out the target. I too have taken shots on black hogs with black reticles and black backdrops, it ain't my favorite.

I'd recommend a 3-9 Trijicon (crosshairs with dot or triangle) or a 1-4 trijicon (any reticle.) To step up to an illuminated scope is usually a decent jump in scope price - and you need good illumination, not just illumination

As for glasses, scopes have adjustments that will help with near sighted or far sighted; however if you have astigmatism or something like that, the scope cannot correct for it.

Thanx for all the replies. Trijicon its gonna be then. Think ill opt for the 2.5-10 X56 with the amber triangle. Rancid Coolaid, We hunt a ranch about 30 miles east of Laredo near a hole in the wall called Aguilares. Havent seen any 500 lbers yet but we got a nice 300 lber in Feb. and four nice boars in Feb and March of 2008. Were also over run with Javelinas. Never seen a turkey on the whole place though. Good Luck and thanx.

I agree. The Trijicon Accupoints are hard to beat for the price for moonlight hog hunting. To get a better low light scope than the Accupoints, you'd have to spend twice the money of the Accupoints. To me, illuminated reticles, while not a must, are a definite advantage that no conventional reticle can match, no matter how thick/bold. A good lit reticle has intensity adjustments allowing for very dim settings in low light so the reticle doesn't flare out the target. Too much illumination is worse than no illumination, so a good lit reticle scope should not only be adjustable for very dim settings, but also illuminate only the "business" portion of the reticle (the very center dot, "+", or a small circle dot, etc). If too much of the reticle is lit, it has the same effect as too much reticle brightness. You just want to see your point of aim contrasted against the darkness, with no more intensity than necessary.

Make sure whatever scope you choose has a reasonably large objective lens diameter for the magnification you anticipate using. For example 42mm for up to 7X, 50mm for up to 8X, 56mm for up to 10X, etc. You want at least a 5-6mm exit pupil for optimal light transmission to your eye. I seldom ever use more than 6X when hunting hogs at night, because it's usually a fairly close range affair.

High end scopes generally outperform mid range scopes in low light due to better lens coatings and optical design. Any scope with good low light performance and a reasonably visible reticle will work, but again, you can't beat a lit reticle. Under $1K price tag, the Accupoint series is as good as it gets.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

I havent tried an illuminated reticle yet but i dont see how it couldnt benefit me. I took only one shot at over 100 yds this year and it was at close to 200. I didnt even think to turn the scopes magnification up. I usually have it set on around 5x and leave it there pretty much all year. It didnt matter to the hog anyway, he was on an almost white sandy sendero and stood out like a sore thumb. On the other hand i missed a bigger one at less than fifty yards. The moon had just risen (vs being directly overhead) I could see him off and on through my binoculars when he moved and finally found him in my scope. Finding the crosshairs was guesswork. Wish now id have waited until the light got better. Im wondering if a Trijicon 1-4 would work for me just as well as the 2.5-10 X 56? There isnt much different in price (30 mm tube) but there is in size and weight. That isnt a huge factor since I dont get off the atv much, but if a smaller scope can do the same job...I dont know. With both of those two models set at 4x is the 56mm going to be brighter?

7mm X 4 power = 28 so max brightness for a 4 power scope requires a 28mm objective This has a 24mm objective so it will be really bright and 24mm divided by 4 power = 6 mm exit eye pupil. In all likelyhood unless you are a young man your eye pupil may not dialate to larger than 6mm where a young man might be able to use a full 7mm exit eye pupil. If your concern is about size of the 56mm objective the answer is yes it is brighter but you may not be able to tell it unless your 18 to 25yrs old.

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".Bobby Paul DohertyTexas Ranger

Generally speaking, a perfect configuration for you (since you do not seem to care about high magnification too much) is a 1.5-6x42 of some sort. Unfortunately, the really good scopes so configured are pretty expensive. There are a couple on sample list that are, while over your price limit, very well priced for what you get:

Anyone looking for a high quality scope for night hunting should check out the Meopta Meostar 3-12 x 56RD. This scope is very well made and works well in extreme low light. I've read about and experienced reticle flare. It is a real problem. A friend of mine who also hunts Coyotes at night has a top American scope and has complained about this issue. The Meopta has no reticle flare even in near total darkness. Please note that this scope has the 4C reticle on the first focal plane. It takes getting used to. I am writing this to help others looking for a scope for night use. Meopta is coming out with a new model by June with the reticle on the second focal plane. Check hard on the Internet as there is one site with a better price than most.

Is the 4c available with illumination or is it just the RD version? I am looking for a good first FP scope at least 50mm dia and illuminated and with some form of ballistic marks in the reticule as the meopta 4b and 4c are.Any ideas??

Thanx for all the input. I did look through a Meopta Meostar 3-12X56. The glass and clarity were pretty impressive and the illuminated dot seemed very good as well. It turns off in between each illumination setting wich is a big plus. After weighing all the pros and cons i think Ill go with the Trijicon though. Ive heard nothing but good things about their customer service. No batteries and turning a switch off and on is icing on the cake. Trijicon being American made is a factor as well.

What id really like to have is a fixed 4 power scope with really good glass and illuminated reticle that you can just barely see under night conditions. If they make one like that for less than a grand I havent found it. Pretty sure im going to go with the trijicon 1-4X24 in the 30mm tube.

The Meostar 3-12 x 56 is available with an illuminated 4c reticle and a non-illuminated. Check out their website- meoptasportoptics. Meopta makes componants for Zeiss and many other scope manufacturers.

I'm not pushing Meopta, but they have a 7 x 56 with an illuminated reticle. I haven't viewed a Zeiss or Swarovski illuminated, but Meopta works very well and is very dim at the lowest setting. A friend of mine has a Leupold illuminated mil dot and says that it is too bright to use at night.

This is a beast. Brown bears around here are mostly not as big as this.

About the scope for full moon hunting I here a lot of good thing about Meopta. As they say it is hard to get such a good optics for the same money. In the same price range I here also a lot of good words for Docter (ex Zeiss Jena) and Kapps. Most common scope for this kind of hunting here is still 8x56 but the 2.5-10x56 is also getting popular.

I have not seen any Trijicon scope yet so I cant be a judge which is better. I can only say that Meopta is well worth the money.

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